Police investigating whether or not officer who shot Wilford Dawson in the foot was justified

Published by BBNTEAM at April 25, 2023

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Posted: Tuesday, April 25, 2023. 2:04 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Belize Police Department has launched two simultaneous investigations into an incident where a police officer shot a man in the foot in Gardenia Village this week.

On Sunday night, officers responded to a call that a man was drunk and making threats in front of a shop inside the village, where they found 38-year-old Wilford Dawson. The officers attempted to detain Dawson and he came at them with a piece of board. Police say that the officer fired a warning shot in the air but Dawson continued his advance, and that’s when the officer shot him in the right ankle.

Officer Commanding Police Eastern Division Hilberto Romero said today that the department will be investigating the matter thoroughly to determine if there was any fault on the officer’s part.

“A criminal investigation is being carried out and also an internal investigation by the PSB (Professional Standards Branch) and at the end of that investigation it will be determined whether justifiable force was used,” Romero said.

Dawson was treated at the hospital for his injury, released, and charged with aggravated assault upon the officer.

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